Campaign for taxi rank in Bawtry

File photo dated 09/08/05 of London taxis waiting at a cab rank at Paddington Station. World travellers have voted London's taxis the best but also the most expensive. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday August 23, 2011. The traditional London black cab was streets ahead of its nearest rival - the New York yellow taxi - in a survey of nearly 5,000 travellers from 23 countries by Hotels.com. See PA story TRANSPORT Taxi. Photo credit should read: Matthew Fearn/PA Wire

Published:10:58Monday 23 November 2015

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Licensees in a busy Doncaster town who say they were blind-sided by an alcohol restriction order are renewing a campaign for a taxi rank.

Members of Bawtry Licence Watch Scheme have been pushing for a taxi rank for the town for around three years and say they are frustrated the plan is consistently knocked back by the town council.

The comments came during a Licence Watch meeting in which members hit out at the decision to impose a Cumulative Impact Zone – restricting new licensed premises from opening and limiting applications for extended hours from existing businesses.

Licensees said they were disappointed the Cumulative Impact Zone had been brought in and said it was not necessary for the town.

The plans, approved by Doncaster Council’s cabinet, came after some town council members said Bawtry’s night-time economy was fuelling noise, anti-social behaviour, nuisance parking and litter issues.

Alex Calzini, of Ziniz in Bawtry, said a taxi rank would help curb nuisance parking and prevent people having to wait for a taxi after a night out.

Mr Calzini said the town’s award-winning Licence Watch Scheme had campaigned for years for a taxi rank but plans had been consistently refused.

He said: “The problem we’ve got is people call a taxi and then have to wait around for one to come from Doncaster town centre or Retford.

“We have tried for the past two to three years now to get a taxi rank.

“It seems to have been refused in the past just because some councillors seem to be against the night-time economy.

“One of the biggest issues we’ve got is people having to hang around and wait for a taxi after a night out.

“If we had a taxi rank it would mean people could get out of Bawtry quickly.”

Bawtry Town Coun David Kirkham, who attended the meeting, said: “I’m very happy to support that and raise it at the next council meeting.”

Previous applications have been rejected after councillors said there would be considerable wear and tear to the surface of Market Hill if the rank was located there, and additional costs would be incurred in providing taxi marshals.